Switch



L. A. M. PHELAN may 2s, 192s.

SWITCH -Oxjginal Filed Aug. 20. 1920 1 orignial No.' 1,471,199, dated 'lTo all 'whom it lmay concern:

l Reimea Maly ze, `1925'. t y Y,

' UNITI-:o srATcs PATENTOFFICE.

LOUIS A. 111. PB ELAN, or BELOIT, WISCONSIN, AssIGNOR `:roljniasontr'rr.coNf'rAc-'ro'nf CORPORATION, A oonrom'rIoNOF ILLINOIS.

reissue led. March 16,

Be it known that LLOUIs A. M. PHEIAN, a citizen of thefUnitedStates,residing in Beloit, vWisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Switches, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates toelectrical switches and it has special referenceto electrical con-- tact making devices comprising spaced electrodesthat are sealed into a closed hermetically sealed container and areadapted to be brought into electrical contacting relation with oneanother-through the agency of a movable conducting. body, preferably afiuid such as mercury, which is also disposed in said container that,uoon.- being tilted, is instrumental in Aperforming the circuit closlingand circuit opening functions between the 'electrodes and the mercurycomprised in the device. l

More particularly my invention refers to an electrical contactor deviceof the character indicated which will operate for long periods of timeand serve to make and break comparatively large amounts of current atcommercial voltage without undergoing dei v terioration.

My present v,invention pertains to an elecf trical contactor device asdescribed above which, if desired, may comprise a cylindrical elongated`tubular member,pr`eferably in i tthe form of a hermetically sealedglass lcgntainer that'serves to house the electrodes and a of conductingfluid such as mercury, the latterf being adapted'to bridge the elec-`trodes within thetubular member. The tubular member isl normallydisposed upon a suitable supporting structure so that it may be tiltedin' either of-two.` directions and thus y allow the conducting fluid toflow into and out of circuit making and openingpositions with theelectrodes.

dicated. means for suppressing or' eliminatk ing thearcing and forpreventing deteriora'.'r

tion or corrosion' of the contacting parts. A further object ofthisinvention is( to provide a particular lform of container for aicontactor device 4of the" type indicated umher 1e, 192s, serial No.404,913, mea August 2O. 1920.

in a contactor device of the v.type above iii-- Re. 16,087 i SWITCH.

Application for 1925, Serial No. 16,068. y

form size, of regular configuration, and high heat absorbing capacity,the contactors may lbe subjected to service conditions withoutdeterioration and, moreover, may be reproduced with uniformity ltherebyensuring their interchangeability and'uniform action in the making andbreaking of the electric circuit when the contactor is tilted throughthe same degree.

fro

A still further object of this invention is l. to provide a contactordevice of the type'me `dicatedthat will be simple and-.economical to'vconstruct and which will possess a long life even when subjected toconsiderable quantities of electric current and relatively highvoltages.

An illustrative embodiment of the inventionisshown in the accompanyingdraw,

ings, in which-- v F ig. lfis a front elevation of an assentiblage ofamercury switch mounted on a tilting'lever or. holder within a h ousingreceptacle, the cover of which is removed, and

the switch being in its open circuit position.

`sectional Vview along the line v3 is a vertical axial sectional view-off' Fig. 2 is a one rm ofa mercury switch embodying `-my invention.

Fig. 4 shows `three steps in a process of making one form of largecontact-making surface terminals that may be disposed in .the glassmercury tube of Fig; V3. The electrodes are hermetioally sealed'inwallsfof the-tubular cally sealed receptacle 1 having a pair of' spacedterminals or electrodes 2 .and 3 and a liquid conductor 4 which onlypartly fills the spacewithin the receptacle. The chamvber in thereceptacle 1 is'substantially. free "-'of air but contains an atmosphereof inert "gas, "This, in combination with the liquid conductor 4, are-the only contents of the chamber except the electrodes. lhave I foundthat the inclusion of other materials,

4 \in tubular form with its ends tacle is suitably moved or tilted., Thewa `of the receptacle 1 are composed of dielectric material, preferablylass, andcomprise an elongated cylindricalgbod vpart 6 made and 8'tightly and hermetically sealed and-provided with conductive terminalcaps "9 and 10 respectivel that embrace said body'part and from` which12 extend to the interior of the chamber, said conductors or leading-inwires 11 and leading-in wires being hermetically 'sealed in the glasswall thereby ensurin Vthat the containerwillremain substantial y perma.

nently hermeticallysealed when the con 4'tactoris subjected to serviceconditions.

' although suiiicientl The leading-in wires 11 and 12 where they extendthrough the walls ofthe container are of a relatively small crosssectional area, large to conduct .the electricl current wit ut reachinga danger'- ously `thigh temperature. The leading-in i f wireswheretheyare hermetically sealed in c lgpgs.sectional area, are To 4114@'L- .become un uly eatedand thereby crack or the glass' container, byassessing, small fpsmall heatconca aci `gand so the seals will notbreak. Ihe leading-in wires 11 and 12 support at their inner ends theelectrodes 2 and 3 respectively, whichA are spaced from eachv otherlongitudinaliA -of the containerand are disposed'at oneen thereof. Theelectrodes l '2 and 3 are positioned in proximity to the longitudinalaxis of the container but not n w: rily on the axis .thereof but in thecentra] portion of the container.l Thispermits a small quantity ofmercur ,4. to be used in thefcontactor which. grea y enhances thelightness of the contactor andpermits it to be used inV conjunction withmechanisms which are operated b stitutesfga concentrated mass whichreadily absrbsllthe heat generated bythe sparks obtaininggthen theelectric circuit is made and broken'thereat.v Moreover, the electrodes 2and 3- by severally possessing a concentrated mass,limit the area overwhich sparks may obtain and, therefore, thevelectric sparks' that mayoccur at the making'nd breaking ofthe electric circuit are confinedwithin a small re 'on because of the limited area possessed y each oftheelectrodes.- AThe electrodes 2, and 3, by-being positioned at smallquantities of' energy Each of the e ectrodes 2 and 3 conmoet one end ofthe container, ensure that both of the electrodes are not under theinfluence of the body of mercury 4-when the electric circuit through thecontacter is opened. Moreover, in this circumstance, the body ofmercury` 4 is removed from proximity to the electrodes 2 and 3 therebyensuring the maximumv insulating strength of ythe contactor when thecircult is opened. `For instance, if the contactor is tilted so that thebody of mercur 4 is removed from proximit tothe' electro es 2 and 3 thatare dispose at one end`of the'container, thebody of mercury will beintheneighborhood of the other end of the container` t ereby completelyinsulatingthe electrodes 2 and 3 from each other.

B y reason of vthe electrodes 2 and 3 being spaced from eachotherlongitudinally of the container, as the mercury 4 moves to, circuitclosing position, it first contacts with the electrode 3 andthenfwiththe electrode 2. The electric circuit is therefore made between themercury 4 and the electrode 2 which ensures that the electric arc willbe confined to at least one electrode andthe mercury, the

action thereby.' minimizing the arc. When the circuit is opened, it isbroken again between the mercu y same'condition hhtains, namely, thecircuit is broken between one-electrode and the receding body ofmercurywhich stretches out the arc andextinguishes it. The electrode 2 isspaced a 'sufficient distance from the thin\wall ofthe glass.: containerto pre'- clude the-'electric arcs from breaking` the glass wall'. Whenthe circuit-between the electrode is open, both electrodes are free fromthe influence of the body of mercury which has receded from them and`the full insulating value o f the spark vgap 5 then exists between thetwo spaced electrodes. y

Each of the end caps 9 and 1() 'is secured to the glass tube bymeans ofla high-grade and durable cement 13, vwhich preferably may becomposdof-litharge and glycerine.

the conductors 11 and 12 bfy the application .t

T he outer ends of may be secured in place of solder 14 at each endheswitch.

In order that theelectrode 3 ma 'beisupported with a `fair degree ofrigi ityl at or and one electrode and the I adjacent to the main axis.of the switch-,the

corres onding end' of the tube may be,

forme with'an inward tubular projection 15 and the terminal lead 12 isse ed the closed ,inner end .thereof ,at .16., As thus mounted, the-electrodes2 and 3. are dis? posed in axial alinement concentric withthe tube 6 and are e ually's aced' from the walls en all sides.- T e leamg-in wires 114v and 12dprojectexteriorlyfrom. the tube -at its en s.

'Ihe switchun'it 1 as ai .whole is of a cartridgelike shape andisinterchangeable with similar switches in the supporting structure racno latter possessing a rectifying or suppressing "l 4 the switchisvhorizontally substantially in the manner b whic cartridge fuses aremounted. W en the switch 1 is placed in service, the end caps 9 and 10fit into correspondin spi-ing'l clips" 17 'as shown in Figs. l and 2. Inone position (Fig. 5) of the switch, the electrodes 2 and 3 are bridgedby the lmercury 4, but when positioned (Fig.

3) or is reversely tilted (Fig. 1., dotted lines) l` `removable cover21. handle or`lever arm 22 projectmgthrough. the casing aperture 23 bywhich the 'tilting` tend from the clipsA 17 to fixed terminal themercury flows away from the electrodes and the external circuit isconsequently opened. v

Tilting ma be effected and controlled in variouswa s, but in the fornihere shown the clips 1 'aresecured to a hard rubber base 18 which inturn is pivoted Vat 19 to the back wall oia protective case 20 having aThe base 18 has a is controlled. Flexible leads 24 and 25 exblocks 26.From thence leads '27 extend to the outside of the casing 20 throughvanv -aperture28. p

One methodv of constructing the switch is' as follows: The tube 6 havingbeen formed and the electrodes 2 and 3 having been secured iny place byhermetically1 sealing them in the glass and the `bodyjof mercury 4having been supplied, the tube togetherwith a 4 may be inserted,vhausting the air numberv of smaller tubes each provided with anoutstanding tubular steinl .(not shown) and being connected in tree formas understood-inthe artVare exhausted by means of a vacuumi pump, afterwhich an inert gas may be introduced and the tube hermetically sealed,the temporary connection or stein 'being removed. The sealing-off tipisv shown at 29. The bdy of mercury either before or after-expre'ferablybefore.

inert gas serves o assist in suppressing the sparks'and results in aprolonged Alife of thev terminals. other materials or chemicals are tobe con- It is to be understood that no tained within the containerexcept the mercury, the electrodes .and the inert gas, all of which aresubstantially non-deteriorating in the presence of aware that li uids,such as alcoholydistilled water and ot er liquids have been used inconnection with mercuryswitches with the expectation that such liquidswould serve,

as a lubricant forI the body .of mercury whereby it would slide withminimum frictional resistance. on the glass Wall of the container orwith the expectation that the' liquids would assist in suppressingthearcs.

'But in such mercury switches the' additional liquids causedeterioration in avery short time, thereby rendering theswitchestotallly inoperative under service conditions.

The electrodes' 2 and 3 may be formed as illustrated by the three stepsshown in Fig.

The i an electric arc. v'I am 4., One wayvof forming an electrode is totake a piece of suitable wire and first form a spiral lat one endasshown at 30. Then bend back the straight free end and thread itthrough the coil, as shown at 31. Then place the coil in the die 32having a cylindrical cup-like aperture 33 with a central perforation 34at the bottom for the wire. end 35. Then pull the wire end 35 tightly,thereby securely setting the coil he-ad 36 on the end of the wire. y v

It is essential that the electrodes 2 and 3 be of concentrated mass,aswell as of regular configuration in order "that the electrodeswill'not deteriorate when the electric sparks obtain, and in order thatthe contactors, when made; willbeinterchangeable and uniform in theiraction. Therefore, when the term electrode is mentioned, I mean that theelectrode'shall be of concentrated mass, be Iliade of a material havin ahigh -heat absorptivity, and be *ofl regu ar configuration.

If the electrodes 2 and 3 were enlargements onlyv of the sort that mightbe provided by fusing melted metal or Vthe like upon the ends oftheleading-in'wires, these electrodes would not possess a regularconlliguration, nor would they be capable of being produced in uniformsizes. Their ex- 95' posed surfaces would be irregular, Afilled withpits or the likeand be exceedingly rough. The sparks then obtaining atthe electrodes would burn oil'- the. 1projections and cause rariddeterioration o the contacter.

' he leading-in wires 11 and 12 may be composed yof a different materialthan that of-which the electrodes are@ composed, but it is essentialthat the leading-in wires be made ofsuc'h material thatsubstantiallypermanently hermetical seals with the glass container areensured throu hout the life of the contactor, because the a mission ofair into the contactor would render it useless. I have found thatcertain nickel iron alloys may be used as leading-in wires which pro--vide seals of theI aforementioned character.

Therefore, where leading-in wires `are mentioned, it is understood thatthese must be of such material that substantially. permanentl hermeticalseals are ensured throughout t e life of the contactor.

The inert gas being preferably under pressure provides a high resistancegap between the electrodes 2 and 3. In operation, the mercury and inertgas conduct the heataway from the electrodes and dissipate the h'at sothat excessiveV concentration of heat at the` electrodes is avoided,even -on moderate overloads. The leading-in wires,- as mentioned aboveare also ofsinall heat conductingrca pacity inv lorder that the glassseals made therewith will not become 'unduly heated. l

Although but one specific embodiment of 'this inventiony has been hereinshown and iii ing from the spirit and scope of this inven-4 tion asdefined bythe following claims. li Iclaim:

l 1. An electrical contactor comprisin an hermetically sealed tubularlass contalner, a pair of spaced electrodes isposed at one l"end thereofand between which the electric 1l circuit is adapted vto be made andbroken, a leading-in. wire fixed to and independently supportingeachofsaid electrodes, and-'a body of conducting fluid for bridging saidelectrodes at predetermined times, said leading-inwires extending to theexterior of said container and being permanently hermetically sealed inthe walls thereof, the end of said container furthest from said elec- Atrodes being. de ressed inwardly andextend-4 ed in tubular orm towardssaid electrodes and one of saidleading-in wires extending through saidinwardly depressed end and c hermetically sealed in the inner endthereof. 2. An electrical contactor comprising an hermetically sealedtubular glass container, a reentrant integral tubular closure at one'end of'said container and extending longitudinally toward the otherend, thereof, a pair .v of s aced electrodes within-said other end of30- sai container leadin -in wires for said electrodes, said leading-1nwires being permanently hermetically sealed `in the container wall andone of said leading-in wires extending through said reentrant closure,and

j a pair of metalliccaps fitted upon and cemented respectively to the oposite ends of said container and electrica said -1eading-in wires.

'.hermetica'lly sealed container`,`fa pair of electrodes positioned atonejend of said con- "tainerand spaced from each other longitudinally ofthe container, leading-in wires .hermetically sealing the container andcon nectedv-to said electrodes, and a body of mei'- an breakv theelectric circuit thereat atpre rdetermined times,said electrodeseatration, and `said leading-in wires where sealed in the walls of saidcontainer possessring relatively small cross sectonsand small eatconducting capacities.

4. An electrical contactor Qomprisin air evacuated hermeticall a pairofelectrodes of substantial mass positioned centrallyat one end of saidcontainer and spaced from each other longitudinallyof' the container,leading-ih wires lhermetcally sealing the container andvconnected torsaid electrodes `at points .spaced from the walls of saidoontainer, saidleading-in wires having cross sectional areas relatively small with-res'pect to said electrodes,

in said container'nnt occupied by said electrodes and'mercury, saidinert gas servlng to y connected to 3. An'electricalcontactonncomprising an .tainer and an enlarged head of regular concurforJbridging said electrodes t'o make "of- A'asubstantial,concentratedmass, of `high absorbing capacity and of regularconfigusealed container,

manently hermetically sealed in the wa ofl `concentrated mass Vand re abody of mercury movable'in said container for making and breaking thecircuit at said electrodes, and aninert gas filling the 'space I0conduct -heat awayfromsaid electrodes.

5. In a device of the character described, an elongated hermeti'callysealed receptacle containing a body of mercury, an electrode member nearone end thereof, said electrode member comprising an enlarged head ofsub,- stantial concentrated mass, lof high heat absorbing capacity andof regular configuration. at which said body of mercury serves to makeand break an electric circuit at predetermined times, said head` beingspaced centrally inthe container and from the walls thereof, and arelatively thin leading-in wire for said enlarged head which ishermeticall sealed in thewall of the ,container and of re 85 small crosssectional'area. i

fluid type contactorswitch comprising a body o conducting, liquid, -andelectrode terminals formaking and -breakin ,an electrical circuit withsaid body of contlct-v V ing liquid at predetermined times, one of theterminals comprising a wire, having an enlargement at thev end thereofformed by tightly eoiling a portion of said Wire.

` 7. mercury switch comprisin a tubular glass container that ishermetic'a y sealed a body of mercury Vin said container, an' leading-inwires hermetically sealed in the wallsof said container, said leadin -inwires having tight set coils of wireon t eir innery 10( ends which coilsconstitute electrodes havf f ing large'fconcentrated mass, high Iheatabsorbing capacity -andlregular configuration.

mercury electric Vswitch comprising an hermetically sealed tubularcontamerha 105 body -of .mercury thereixn electrodes sealed in saidcontainer and each comprising a f relatively small leadin -infportionthat is x j hermetically sealed in t ye wall of said cons 116 headsproviding contact-making areas for lsaid body of mercury which is.adapted to make andbreak electrode heads. v

9. A mercury electric switchy comprising an hermetica'lly sealedtubulary container, co-

o erating electrodes at one end thereof the electric circuit at sa/id -wch are severally provided with. a rela-v I tively small leading-inportion that is r` 85 said container and a terminal"- head of large arconfiguration the cooperating terminal eads being s ace from feach otherlongitudinally of sai convtainer and centrally thereof; a body of lmer-13 20 terminal head cury movable to and from said terminal.

heads for making and breakin the circuit at said terminal heads, and anlnert gas filling saidcontainer that serves to preclude eX cessiveconcentration vof heat atisaid terL minal heads. Y

" 10. A mercury electric switch comprising an elongated hermeticallysealed glass container, cooperating electrodes disposed at i one endthereof and spaced-from each other lon itudinally of said container andhermetically sealed therein, said electrodes being' provided withterminal heads of large concentrated mass and regular configuration, abody of mercury movable to and from contact with said terminal headswhereat the electricy circuit is made and broken, and an inert gasfilling-said container, one of said electrodes being supported adjacentto its a glass shank formed intecontainer.

b l grally with sai 11. Anelectic switch comprising' an hermetic'allyvsealed tubular glass container, a

body of mercury therein, electrodes disposed at one end of saidcontainer and spaced from each other longitudinally thereof and from thewalls of said container, leading-in wires extending cfrom saidelectrodes and hermetically sealed through the wall of said container,the terminal heads of said elec trodes being of substantially largeAconcentrated mass and of regular configuration to provide electriccontact-making areas at said heads and said leading-in Wires for said vheads being of relatively small diameter and low heat conductingcapacity, saidbody of mercury being movable to and from contact Withvsaid terminal heads for making and breaking the electric circuitthereat.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed 40 my name this 13 day of March,1925.`

Louis A. M. PHELAN.

